Why Europe finds the sun so attractive

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 16 June 2009 18.21 BST

It takes just six hours for the sun to shine down on deserts the same amount of energy all humanity uses in a year.
So the idea of using solar power to solve the world's energy and global warming problems has long been attractive.
It was the German Aerospace Agency that first ran the numbers on whether harvesting north Africa's deserts to supply Europe could be made to work.
The answer was yes, at a price. Much of the €400bn (£337bn) would be spent on the grid infrastructure needed to carry vast amounts of electricity northwards, though proponents note such investment is needed anyway.
The desert solar dream took one step towards reality last year when the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, cited it a key part of the newly formed Mediterranean Union and ordered a feasibility study. The prime minister, Gordon Brown, also voiced support.
The idea has also been picked up by the European commission's Institute of Energy, who envision it as part of a Europe-wide renewables supergrid.
This would tap solar, geothermal, wind and wave power from across the continent, meaning electricity would always be available, not just when the weather was favourable.
The desert solar concept is also being explored in other parts of the world, particularly in the US.
Damian Carrington